FIFA 11 is Family-Proof Soccer

Image: Ea.com

As our kids grow up they have been getting interested in a range of different sports. Most recently this has been Soccer. Whether it’s the recent world cup or my own passion for the game of football I’m not sure, but I was more than happy to share my time on FIFA 11 with them.

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However, after an hour or two they were frustrated with the complex controls and left to do something else. In an effort to rope them back in I purchased the Wii and DS versions of the game that afternoon. I hoped this would offer a simpler version of the experience that they could understand and enjoy.

I got more than I bargained for though. Not only did our eldest adopt FIFA 11 on the DS as their game of choice for the last few weeks, my other half got really into FIFA 11 on the Wii as well. EA’s ability to over deliver on each of their releases really came into its own – we each had very different reasons for liking the different versions.

After reading a few of my family gamer thoughts about FIFA 11 360, my family wanted to share their thoughts on their favorite versions of the games too.

FIFA 11 (Ea.com)

FIFA 11 on 360 attentively delivers on promises to their player community – another round of intelligently chosen and well executed enhancements. Combine this with the DS and Wii versions, FIFA 11 really has something for everyone in the family who is happy to kick a ball around.

While some of the 360 and PS3 FIFA 11 modes and ideas are mirrored in the other versions – like the play in position mode on FIFA 11 DS – it’s only on the more powerful consoles that these come together in a high definition presentation that offers the detail, atmosphere and control I love the series for.

I don’t often get involved in the footballing antics in our house. But recently I’ve enjoyed being the mum at the park with a couple of boys and a football. If you position yourself up hill of the action, you can spend a happy hour or so simply tapping the ball back down the hill to the kids as the hare around.

It’s probably a sign of our tribe getting a little older, but we seem to have hit our footballing stride of late. With my husband always happy to have one of them along for the ride while he plays his 360 game, I thought I’d try my hand on the Wii version of FIFA 11 to see if it was a little easier – I’ve tried the 360 one but there are just too many buttons to remember.

First off I was struck by how the Wii game looks and sounds different to the game on the 360. It’s not exactly cartoony but everything feels a bit exaggerated. I like it.

This style takes away some of the tedious macho bravado the real game seems to be so full of. On the Wii, although they are of course real players, it looks much more like the sort of game I play with the kids in the park.

I really got into playing the smaller five a side game mode. This takes players from the different clubs and pops them into a sports hall with a small goal at each end. There’s less space so the ball pings around more than usual, and it seems like this makes it easier for our younger kids to score.

And here’s what a friend of my son’s wrote about FIFA 11 DS from a teen gamer perspective:

FIFA 11 (Ea.com)

I like playing games on the go so I’ve always kind of ruled out football. I just didn’t think it would be good enough on the DS and I’ve not been able to afford a PSP. But picking up the new FIFA 11 DS game I was surprised how much proper footballing fun I had on it with my mates.

Since last time I picked up one of these games the graphics have obviously come on a lot. It really looks like a real FIFA game with players – although not really that recognizable as individuals – looking like real people.

There is a new mode in FIFA 11 that I really liked – Ultimate Team lets you build your squad by collecting packs of cards you buy in the game. It felt a bit like my old obsession with Pannini football stickers and Magic the Gathering cards.

Each new set of cards you buy enables you to change up your team with more effective personnel. It’s clever because by limited the players you have access to, when you get a new set it feels really exciting. I also got into trading player cards with my friends via the wireless connection – and that isn’t something we’ve done since being in the juniors.

Each of us had very different reasons to like the different versions, and while it was a shame that no one game could tick all the boxes, I appreciated the range of experiences on offer from EA this year.